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ANCIEXT SLAVERY 



DISAPPROVED OF GOD. 



THE STIBSTAXCE OF 



A^ T. E C T TJ R E 



n If, MAM MORRIS, M. I> 



PHTi.\T>i:r.i'HT \ : 

ITPMSHFIi RY THK SCRIPTI;RAI, KNOWLEDCK SOCIETY. 






'or 



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I 



LECTtJEE. 



From an early period certain men linve claimed a riiilit of 
property in their fellow men. We speak not now of the claims 
asserted by regal despotism, nor of the vassalage demanded by 
feudal power, nor of captivity, as consequent on defeat in war; 
but of domestic davcr)^^ as originating in involnntari/ bondage, 
and as having, in ancient times, become a fact and a custom, 
under the sanction of common law. 

Of late years it has been gravely asserted, by ecclesiastical 
teachers, that slaien/ — both ancient and modern — is an ordi- 
nance of God; and that Holy Scripture is the Magna Charta 
of Slavedom throughout Christendom, and through all time. 
But we undertake to show that this two-fold statement is not tj-ve, 
and that by its ai-gumentative use. the Sacred Sriptures are mis- 
represented and defamed. Our sole object is to defend the 
honor of divine Revelation ; and our sole concern is with the 
erroneous teachings of those Erclesidstics, who, professedly, ad- 
vocate and defend modern slavery, by an appeal to the Scriptures 
of Truth. They control the minds of millions in this land, and, 
having appealed to the ]^ible. their advocacy must be tested and 
judged by the actual teachings of the inspired Book. 

I. They affirm, that. '"From the days of Xoah, and by means 
of a prophetic curse, tlie Ncf/ro Tribes were foredonmed to in- 
voluntary and ))erpetual bondage, as chattel slaves." 

In support of this a.ssertion they cite the words of Noah: — 
'Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his 
brethren." (Gen ix, 25.) Now it should be observed, that in 
making this quotation, as their authority, they declare that 
slavery is a curse; and also that, in some unexplained sense, 
slaveholders are of the seed of impious 11am. and brethren of 
Canaan, the accursed: for the words of the record are these: — 
''A .servant of servants shall he be to His brkthren." 



Our first remark is that the passage quoted relates to na- 
tional debasement and political subjugation, and not to personal 
and domestic bondage. All the earlier predictions of Holy 
Scripture were national in their conception and intent. For ex- 
ample : Before the twin sons of Isaac were born, a divine oracle 
declared, saying, "The elder shall serve the younger:" and in 
that divine oracle, the verb ah-VAD, signifying to serve, is the 
root of the word for "servant" in the Noachic curse. But it 
was not predicted that Esau should become the chattel slave of 
Jacob, but that the Edomites should be brought into political 
subjection to the Israelites; and in the days of David and Solo- 
mon, this divine prediction was fulfilled. 

It must also be observed that the curse was not pronounced 
upon Ham ; and therefore did not include the several branches 
of his posterity. It was pronounced on his youngest son, Cana- 
an, and his other sons — Cush, Mitzraim and Phut — and their 
descendants, were designedly exempt. And it was to them, or 
Bome of them, that the Canaanites were to be in a state of extreme 
political subjection; as it is idiomatically declaimed : — "A servant 
of servants shall he be to his brethern :" and it is also distinctly 
shown, that the Canaanites should be subdued by the descendants 
both of Shem and of Japhet. (Gen. ix, 26, 27.) 

The early history of the sons of Ham should be noticed: — 
Cush was the father of Nimrod, who founded the Assyrian Em- 
pire; Mitzraim founded the kingdom of the Pharaohs; and Phut 
most probably originated the Ethiopic tribes; but most certainly 
Canaan did not. The Negroes are not Canaanites: and "the 
land of Canaan" does not lie on the coast of Africa, but on the 
Asiatic shores of the Mediterranean Sea. There Canaan settled : 
there his posterity multiplied: and thence the fulfilment of the 
Noachic curse must be sought after and found. 

As early as the days of Abraham its execution began. And 
such was the exceeding wickedness of some of those Canaanites, 
that God sent down upon them the "eternal tire," by which 
themselves and their cities were destroyed. Gen. xix, 24, 25, 
2 Peter ir, 6; Jude Vil.) And when the Israelites — descend- 
ants of Shem — went up out of Egypt to possess the promised 
land, the nations of Canaan were justly doomed of God to be 
destroyed from the earth, because their "iniquity was full." 
This sentence was in part fulfilled ; but those Canaanites whose 
lives were spared we shall again meet with in the progress of 
our selected task. 

But we must notice the further execution of the Noachic 
curse. After the cities of Canaan had been taken, first by the 
leaders and kings of Israel, and then by Nebuchadnezzar — the 
second Tvre. their last citv in Asia, fell before Alexander of Mac- 



^^ 



edon. and was no more. But a remnant of the Canaanites seemed 
to have escaped the curse. They had settled on the African shore 
of the Mediterranean, and Carthage arose to dispute with Rome 
for the Empire of the world. The Punic Wars ensued; and, in 
the result, Scipio burned Carthage to the ground; and, by a 
decree of the Roman Senate, the walls thereof were ravsed, so 
that no trace of the city or people should remain. The curse 
uttered by Noah was the predicted penalty of the foreseen wick- 
edness of the Canaanites; and that Noachic curse was signally 
fulfilled. 

We have detained you over a brief sketch of the history of 
Canaan, for the purpose of showing that the ecclesiastical pat- 
rons of slavedom, in their very first argument, are untruthful in 
respect to genealogy, geography, prophecy and historical fact. 
They have undertaken to instruct a great nation touching the 
ways and intentions of God in ancient prophecy, and have sub- 
stituted a baseless theory for the teachings of the inspired Book. 
*^ Ctirsed be Canaan" is a terrible word; but, as we have shown, 
it does not sustain any kind of Biblical relation to Africa's in- 
jured sons. 

II. The ecclesiastical advocates of slavery have undertaken 
to teach the philosophy of History in the next argument which 
they adduce. They allege that,'^As Abraham had bounden ser- 
vants, therefore slavery is a patriarchal institution, ordained of 
God; and, being such, is, in the nature of things a blessing to 
the slave." 

We must, at once, do honor to their mental greatness. 
They have just declared that slavery is a Noachic curse; and 
now they assure us that slavery is an Abrahamic blessing. Be- 
yond a question, they are wonderful men I For, by their presti- 
digitation, they have transmuted a dark and dreadful curse, into 
a bright and beautiful blessing. 

We admit that Abraham was involved in the custom of 
bounden servitude that obtained in his day; that is, in as far as 
the fact of having bond-servants is concerned. But for any 
man to argue from this fact, that therrfore slavery was ordained 
of God, is most illogical and evil. Polygamy, also, was a fact 
in patriarchal history: but was polygamy therefore ordained of 
God? The ecclesiastical advocates of slavery would themselves 
shrink from an avowal that all the farts of patriarchal history 
were institutions ordained of God, and included in the Abra- 
hamic blessing, promised and insured. And we may justly 
demand by what authority they have discriminated in favor of 
slavery, and ascribe it, especially, to the ordination of God. 

Patriarchal times were marked by conventional defects and 
evils; and the patriarchs were for from being free from personal 



faults. But certainly these are not recorded for the imitntion 
of Christians; nor to furnish a pretext for similar conduct and 
ways. But the argument against which we contend would teach 
the contrary, and would go to excuse and ju.«^tify some very 
crooked ways, and dark, personal sins. 

Abraham went down to Egypt, contrary to the will and word 
of G^od; and there — at the peril of his own wife's honor — he 
received presents from Pharaoh, of which men-servants and 
maid-servants were a part. But God revealed to Pharaoh the 
duplicity which Abraham had practiced through fear, Sarah's 
honor was preserved, and the Patriarch returned to the land of 
promise, chastened in mind, and taking with him the servants 
he had received. These are historical facts. Gen. xii. 9 — 20. 
We nest meet with an historic notice of the famous clan of 
Abraham — intrepid in war. and devoted to the honor of their 
chief. ^\ ith a reference to this historic notice, the ecclesiastical 
advocates of slavery affirm, that "Abraham held 318 men in 
slavery at one time." 

At the period to which they refer, the Canaanites had re- 
belled against their political masters, and a war of re-subjugation 
had ensued. The victorious kings had departed with their spoils 
and captives, taking with them Lot. the nephew of Abraham. 
Tidings of this reached Abraham, and he led forth his clan of 
318 spear-men, rescued Lot. and returned to his tents. Gen.xiv. 
But in Abrahams clan of intrepid spearmen, our learned 
adversaries have discovered o\^ poor, riii-^eruble. toil-icorn chattels 
such as they themselves may often have seen. 

In turning to the passage, you will observe that the word 
'•servants" does not represent any word in the original text: and 
the word "armed" should read "led forth" The clan of Abra- 
ham had been previously armed and trained, and were worthily 
trusted with their weapons of war. But here the leai-ned critics 
urge, that "Those 318 men were all born in Abraham's house." 
And the construction they put on the words they use, is to the 
effect that those 318 spear-men were all "begotten and raised in 
the negro quarters." But if it would not be offensive to their 
critical acumen, we might remind them that the words in the 
original text admit of a more elevated construction. We might 
remind them that the word bah-tith means not only a house, 
bnt also an estahlishment. and even a district; and the word TAH- 
LAD. whi'"-h ordinarily means to be horn, means also to be consti- 
tnfed. appointed or made. And the word which is translated 
"trained," is chah-xeech; and its related noun -chah-neeth' 
means a. .^pear ; and the ideal meaning of CHAH-XACH — the root 
of these words — is to Initinte. to instinct, to dedirote. These 
particulars are. of course, known to the learned Ecclesia.«tics. 



X/^ 



thonirh they may be slow of heart t-i admit, that the moat prob- 
able intent of the record is. that Abraham led forth his elan of 
3ls spear-men. whom, in hi.« own establishment, he had in- 
structed and disciplined in the art of defensive war. 

But these clerical pillars of slavedom claim to have another 
argument, as derived from the history of Abraham. It is in 
this form: — "Slavery is highly approved of <Tod; for an angel 
from Heaven arrested the fugitive slave. Hagar. and sent her im- 
mediately back to her mistress from whom she had fled." And 
this they plead as authority for the "Fugitive Slave Law." which 
they themselves admire. 

Hagar was an Egyptian damsel, who came into the family 
of Abraham, as it would seem, by the gift of Pharaoh — perhaps 
from his own seraglio. She was the attendant and companion 
of Sarah — a "maid of honor" in the patriarchal house. Sarah 
was childless, and desired to have a babe by proxy: and. in ac- 
cordance with oriental ideas and custom, she prop<:»sed to Abra- 
ham that Hagar should bec^ime his subordinate wife. In this 
new relation. Hagar became proud of her prosp»ective maternity, 
and she despised Sarah, who complained to Abraham, and he 
gave consent that Hagar's offensive ways should be repressed. 
The English Text says that "Sarah dealt hardly with her." and 
"the margin." that she "afflicted her." The Hebrew verb, ah- 
XAH. signifies to an.<u:fr. to return, to give back or retort. The 
weapon which Sarah used was the natural weapon of womanh<x>d. 
the tongxi'p. of which an afflictive use can be made. In this way 
Sarah afflicted Hagar — and she fled : for she. too. had the natural 
spirit of a woman within her. 

Hagar fled : but Abraham did not pursue : neither did he 
offer a reward for her being captured, "alive or dead." She 
went forth on her way. and when she rested beside a fountain of 
water, she was there found by "the angel of the Lord." Im- 
agine yourselves beside that crystal fountain, beneath the palm 
tree shade, and listen to the celestial commissioner, while he 
decides on the rendition of Sarah's maid. 

He begins by inquiring into the cause and objecT of Hagar's 
fl^ight. He speaks to her in persuasive words of comfort and of 
hope: for he tells her of thot which in those days was the heau 
ideal of a youthfal woman's heart. He speaks of the myriads 
that should sprine from her maternity, and assures her that the 
Lord had regarded her affliction, and that her own expected 
babe would bec<:>me a free and independent and unconquerable 
man : and he thus inspires her heart with joyous hope, as giving 
effect to his command that she should return to Abraham's house- 
hold, and behave towards Sarah with becoming humility and 
respect, ((ren. xvi. 7 — 14.^ Such was the rendition of Hagar. 



8 

But does it possess any one feature in common with the modern 
idea and fact of the capture and rendition of a fugitive slave? 

It is worthy of remark that the ecclesiastical advocates of 
slavery overlook one link in the chain of their cited evidence 
concerning Abraham's bounden servants. They entirely ignore 
the recorded penalty of improper behavior under the" patriarchal 
institution." That penalty was expulsion from Abraham's house- 
hold. — It was a kindly, immediate and absolute emancipation. 
(Gen. XXI, 9 — 21.) But this is a species of punishment that 
has never been recommended by those ecclesiastical teachers, 
who seek to assure us that "Slavery is a blessinr/ to the slave." 
It may be, that in the benevolence of their hearts they desire 
and prefer that even refractori/ slaves should he firmly held in 
the bosom of blessing into which they have been so mercifully 
brought. They may, indeed, be greatly mistaken. But who 
would presume to question their sincerity, or the strength and 
tenderness of their charitable motives and intent? 

III. These learned ecclesiastics may have failed to instruct 
us soundly in the philosophy of History; nevertheless they have 
confidence in themselves as expert jurists; for they make a con- 
fident appeal to the laws of Moses and of God. They affirm that, 
"In the laws of Moses involuntary and bounden servitude was 
authorized and approved." 

This statement must be weighed. But before we proceed, 
certain particulars must be premised : — 

1. The municipal laws of Moses were enacted exclusiveli/ for 
the nation of Israel, and were provisional in their intent. They 
were the px-ovisional laws of a Theocracy, peculiar to that nation 
alone. 

2. It was then customary with persons, when very poor, to 
voluntarily dispose of their rights of liberty and labor, for a 
maintenance and a home. And, in view of this usage, certain 
laws were enacted, to restrain the Israelites from taking advan- 
tage of the poverty of their brethren, by inducing those poor 
brethren to barter away their rights of liberty and labor in per- 
petuity. 

3. The law relating to Hebrew servitude was given as a sta- 
tute of limitation, and involved both the principle and form of 
prohibitory law. The period of bounden service was limited to 
six years. And into this law of Hebrew servitude, a sufferance 
clause was inserted, permitting the Israelites to purchase the per- 
manent services of certain classes of persons, /row those persons 
themselves. This law of Hebrew servitude is recorded in the 
Book Leviticus; and in the En2:lish text, the sufferance clause 
does, we admit, wear an aspect favorable to the untruthful advo- 
cacy against which we contend. But the reason of this can be 



J^6 



readily shown. We need only to remind you, that in 1563 the 
African Slave-trade was commenced by the English nation; in 
1603, James Stuart ascended the throne of England, with the 
title of "James I," and between the years 1604 and 1611, the 
English version was made by his order; and at that time, slaverj'^ 
and the slave-trade were in full force, under the same royal 
command. 

A translation in accordance with the spirit and intent of 
the law is this: — ■•And any subject men-servants or permanent 
maid-servants that you may acquire, shall be of heathen, who are 
round about: of them you may buy men-servants and maid-ser- 
vants. Also of the aliens that sojourn among you, of them you 
may buy, and of their families that are with you, which they 
have begotten in your land; them you may retain. And you 
may retain them for your children after you, to hold by succes- 
sion, a retained servitude ; and you may serve yourselves of them 
in perpetuity." Levit. xxv. 

And now let it be observed that "the heathen round about" 
were the Canaanites, who, by their exceeding criminality, had 
justly forfeited their liberty and lives. By the revealed decision 
of the divine government over the nations, they were convicts, 
worthy of death : and God had given to Joshua, the leader of 
Israel, a SheriflF's commission to destroy them from off the face of 
the earth. This commission had been in part, but only in part, 
carried into execution. Very many of the Canaanites were per- 
mitted to live and remain : but they were not confined in prison 
and doomed to hard labor for life, but were allowed to live at large, 
and to dispose of their liberty and labor as they might choose. 
Now it is well known, that in the freest State on earth, involuntary 
bonds and labor are penalties of crime : but under the laws of 
Moses and of God, even the convicted Canaanite criminals icere 
not doomed to involuntary serintude and bonds. By the svjferancf 
clause, in view, the Israelites were only permitted to purchase 
"of them" their liberty and labor, if they wished to barter away 
the same. And this permissive law was applicable, also, in re- 
spect to any aliens and their families, in the land of Israel, who 
might wish to settle therein, and, voluntarily, to dispose of their 
rights of liberty and labor for a permanent maintenance and a 
home. 

The infliction of involuntary servitude and bonds was not 
permitted and sanctioned by law, in the domestic history of the 
Israelites. But, on the contrary, man-sfealinr/, for the purpose 
of such bondage, was punishable with death: — 'vHe that stealeth 
a man and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall 
surely be put to death." (Exod. xxi, 16.) This law was enacted 
for the protection of the "aliens" in the land, and of the "heathen 



10 



who were round about." The crime of man-stea ing and the 
infliction of forced bondage, was judged a capital offence, be- 
cause that, next to murder, it was the highest crime known to 
the laws of Moses, as against a fellow man. . , , , 

Voluntary service in perpetuity was permitted: and on be- 
lialf of the servants thus acquired, certain protective laws were 
provided and made. For example :-Eyen the law oi the bab- 
batf-which, at present, is confounded by many persons .Mth 
the spiritual sanctities and activities of "the Lord s day -even 
the law of "the Sabbath" sustained a special relation to the reliet 
and welfare of the "servants" of the Israelites. Ori the retui-n 
of each seventh day, they were to "do no manner of work ; but 
were to enioy perfect and recuperative rest. And besides this, 
every seventh year was ordained a year of rest-<i season oi le- 
creaLn and gkdness in the land. Throughout the year, labor 
of every kind was prohibited, and spontaneous abundance was 
promised of God. The whole year was one gr^^^* ^^l^'^^y P^' 
claimed from Heaven, for the servant, in common with the master 
whom he served. And further :-TheIsraehtes were not pei^ 
mitted to inflict bodily injury upon their servants: and such 
Tnury, if inflicted, canceled the legal claim to service which 
they had acquired. For example :-It was enacted that "If a 
man smite the eye of his man-servant, or the eye of his maid 
Tat t perish, he shall let him go free for his eye's sake. And 
f he smite out his man-servant's tooth, or his ^^d-servar.t s 
tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake. Exod. xxi, 



^ ' These, and such like protective laws, qualified the permis- 
sive law under review: and that permissive law itself was sub- 
sequently disoroned of God. The Israelites had abused the 
sr}erani clause; and in the days of Isaiah the prophet, the God 
of Israel condemned the abuse, and revoked the law _ Isaiah 
was commanded to convict the Israelites of their iniquities: and 
throu-h him, God condemned their jnous pretensions, while they 
practfced oppression and wrong. With keen and caustic irony, 
He poured contempt on tlieir piom ways, and expressed his ab- 
horr'ance of tlreir "Lt days"-"days of humiliation and prayer; 
and condemning such sanctimonious hypocricy, He said, _ is 
not thi the fast^that I have chosen ?-to loose the bands of wick- 
edness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to et the oppressed oo 
FREE and that you break every yoke?" (Isa. LVili. 1— b.) 
But this .XW.nJrevocation the ecclesiastical advocates ot slavery 
are most careful to pass over and ignore, knowing it to be con- 
demnatory of their teaching and ways. 

The s»#mr.r. chn,se to which they appeal, was r..o/.W. 
Butin the latute Book of Moses, there is a law in relation to 



1{. 



11 



slavery — to involuntary bondage, even such slavery as those 
ecclesiastical Teachers patronize and admire. That law is the 
"Fugitive Slave Law" of the Mosaic Code, and it has never been 
disowned of God. Slavery was established in the surrounding 
nations; and the law to which we refer reveals God's own esti- 
timate of involuntary servitude, and his will concerning freedom 
for the oppressed. The words of the law are these : — ''Thou 
shalt not deliver unto his master the servant that is escaped from 
his master unto thee : he shall dwell with thee, even among you, 
in that place which he shall choose, even in one of thy gates, 
where it liketh him best. Thou shalt not oppress him. Deut. 
XXIII, 15, 16. 

This "Fugitive Slave Law" is founded on principles of 
justice and mercy, which an intelligent jurist would instantly 
perceive. For instance : 

1. The God of Israel acknowledges in the fugitive from in- 
voluntary servitude an oppressed human being, whose desire for 
freedom is natural, just and right. 

2. He acknowledges the inherent right of the oppressed 
bondman to escape from the service and power of his oppressor. 

3. He gives to the escaped man a right to a refuge and a 
home among the freemen of Israel, from whatever quarter he 
may have fled : 

4. He ordains, by his supreme authority, that the refugee 
from bondage and oppression shall be surrounded with govern- 
mental protection, in the enjoyment of life, liberty and happiness, 
in the land which had been promised, as a peculiar inheritance, 
to Abraham and his seed. 

By the enactment of this law, the whole land of Israel was 
constituted a refuge for the oppressed bondmen of all the nations 
round about. And, when this became known abroad, the Fu- 
gitive Slave Law of Moses and of God formed a rainbow of 
promise and hope, in the view of the bounden and oppressed; 
on the margin of the gloom that lowered over their hearts: and 
in the centre of that glorious arch, the angel of liberty appeared, 
sent from the presence of The Eternal, to smile upon, and 
beckon to the oppressed, speaking to their hearts of a welcome 
and a happy home among the sons and daughters of the free. 

There is another and diverse "Fugitive Slave Law" recorded 
elsewhere, of which we will not presume to speak. 

It has thus far been shown that the ecclesiastical patrons 
of Slavedom have spoken untruthfully concerning the word and 
commandments of the Lord: but we have not yet shown the 
full measure of their sin. They are professed christians, and 
avowedly stand under "the Christian I>ispensation," and claim 
to be ''ambassadors for ('hrist," and stewards of the nivsteries 



12 

of God; and they affirm that. "The Christian Revelation affords 
a direct sanction to slavery; for that, it sanctioned and approved 
the slavery that existed throughout the ancient Eoman world." 
But every true christian — every one who is "born of Grod," 
and "taught of God," must know that the genius of Christianity 
is opposed to every kind and degree of injustice, impurity and 
wrong. Whatever sufferances may have had a place in the mu- 
nicipal and provisional laws of Moses, (Ezek. xx, 25; Matth. 
XIX, 3 — 8) the doctrines and commandments of Christ do not 
tolerate any one act or disposition, that is not in full harmony ' 
with the moral perfections and merciful dispositions of the God- 
head. But the specific arguments of our ecclesiastical adversaries 
must be examined and weighed. 

I. They allege, that "Christianity does not prohibit slavery, 
nor command the emancipation of slaves." 

True: — the Christian Revelation does not say, in so many 
words, Thou shalt not hold thy fellow man as a chattel, and count 
him as thine ox, or thy horse. This we concede; and envy not 
the man who can find aid and comfort in such a concession and 
plea. There are other forms of moral evil which are not speci- 
fically forbidden, in the precise terms of prohibitory law: for 
Christianity is not an afi"air of mere formal and external law, 
which never did, and never can prodiice internal virtuousness and 
its corresponding manifestations in practical life. But, the Son 
of God has taught those whom he came to redeem and save, the 
true principles of every kind of personal and social virtue, and 
moral excellence; and he has said, to all his disciples, "Be ye 
merciful, even as your Father, who is in heaven, is merciful." 

II. It is urged by ecclesiastical Teachers, who advocate sla- 
very, that, "Ancient slavery was sanctioned by the approved 
use of the Greek word doulos, in the writings of the Apostles." 

This Greek term — translated "servant" — had the meaning 
of slave, as used by the heathen who knew not God; and the 
Apostles did, on certain occasions, use it to indicate a fact, as 
existing in the world; but its apjyrovccl usage in Holy Scripture 
affords no countenance whatever to its heathen application. The 
probable theme or root of the word is deo, to hind. But a. free 
man may be bound by the requirements of just laws, by the ties 
of gratitude, and by the dictates of honor; and a slave may be 
"bound with affliction and iron." 

In its approved Christian usage, anil as describing a certain 
relation to Christ, the term doulos is applied to all true christians 
in general, to the Apostles of Christ in particular, and, prophet- 
ically, to the glorified saints, as they shall, hereafter, stand before 
the throne of God. But the significancy and force of this term, 
in its approved, heathen usage, will be manifest, through a concise 



JZ 

13 

description of slavery, as it existed in the ancient Roman world 
In Taylor s '"Elements of Civil Law," it is thus described: 

'•The common lot of slaves, in general was, with the ancients 
in many respects, very deplorable. Of their situation, take the 
tollowmg: They were held pro nullis, pro mortuis, pro quadruped- 
ibus— >/• no men for dead men, for beasts; nay, they were in a 
much worse condition than any cattle whatsoever. They had no 
head in the State, no name, no tribe, no register. They "were not 
capable of being injured; neither could they take by purchase 
or by descentr-had no heirs, and therefore, of course, could make 
no will. Exclusive of what was called their pecuUum. (necessary 
subsistence) whatever they acquired, was their master's: they 
could not plead, nor be pleaded, but were excluded from all civil 
concerns whatsoever. They were not entitled to the ric^hts of 
matrimony, and therefore had no relief in case of adultery nor 
were they proper objects of cognition, nor affinity. They could 
be sold transferred, or pawned, as goods or personal estate- for 
goods they were, and as such they were esteemed. They mi<rht 
be tortured for evidence, punished at the discretion of the master 
and by his authority, might even be put to death." ' 

You have now before your minds the significance and force 
of the term doulos, as symbolizing the idea "of slavery, as it ex- 
isted in the Roman world, when the incarnate Son of God walked 
the earth, and when hi. Apostles, by the Holy Spirit, established 
and instructed the Christian Church. 

We ask you to ponder this system of ancient slavery— ^A(s 
concentration of moral vileness—and understand that it is of this 
"abominable thing," that the clerical advocates of slavery affirm 
that It was sanctioned and approved, by the holy and righteous 
and merciful Grod. ^ 

^ III. Another argument used by these ecclesiastical Teachers 
IS, that, '-The apostle Paul sanctioned ancient slavery by com- 
manding every man to abide in the calling in which he was called." 
The Apostle Paul does lay down a general rule to the effect 
that christians should, contentedly, abide in the avocation in 
which they were called by the grace of God : but he makes an 
exception to the rule, and that exception is slavery The pas 
sage referred to, reads thus:— "Let every man abide in the same 
calling in which he is called. Art thou called beino- a servant'^ 
care not for It: (let it not be to thee a matter of anxious dis- 
tracting thought) but if thou mayest be free, use it rather. ' { If 
thou art able to become free, avail thyself of liberty, rather than 
remain in bonds.) For he that is called 'in the Lord, beino- a 
servant, IS the Lord's frecd-man : ( the Lord does not sanction "his 
bondsj likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's ser- 
vant. Yk are BOroiIT WITH A PRICE ; be NOT YE THE SER- 



u 

VANTs OF MEN. (I Oor. VII, 20 — 23.) Here, slavery is the 
exception to the rule laid down : and herein all christians are 
commanded never to be consenting parties to the usurpation of 
men, who assert a right of property in their fellow men — assert 
a right to hold their fellow men "■for no men^for dead men, for 
beasts." 

Besides this, the Apostle repeats the rule laid down, with 
a most significant qualification : — "Brethren, let every man where- 
in he is called, therein abide avith god." (verse 24.) And we 
ask you to look again into that manifold form of moral vileness — 
ancient slavery — and answer for yourselves the question : Was it 
possible that a true christian, a saint of the Lord, could inten- 
tionally and deliberately abide therein as a slaveholder, and therein 
realize the approving presence and companionship of the holy 
and blessed Grod? And does not the above passage show that all 
christians are bound never to consent to the wicked doctrine that, 
even men redeemed by the blood of Christ, and made the 
temples of the Holy Ghost, may be rightfully held for no 
men, for dead men, for beasts? But this exceedingly wicked 
doctrine is included when ecclesiastical Teachers affirm, that an- 
cient slavery was sanctioned by the Holy Spirit, in the apostles, 
and so, is approved in the Scriptures of Truth. 

The manner in which the apostles sought to purify the 
Christian Church from the evil of slavery, is worthy of the grace 
and wisdom of Grod. They found it, as an existant fact, in the 
history of many whom divine grace had called and saved; 
and they did not pi-oceed against it in the way of ecclesiastical 
censure; nor of formal prohibition and coersive force. They 
knew that true christians are "born of G-od," and so possess a 
new and holy and heavenly nature; and to this "divine nature" 
they addressed their appeals and commands — founding all Chris- 
tian exhortation and precepts on the fact of present salvation in 
Christ. The manner in which they dealt with slavery as an 
existant fact, we will proceed to show : 

In two of the epistles of Paul, certain commands are given 
to servants and to masters, who were alike called and saved by 
the grace of God, and were united in the one fellowship of the 
Christian Church. We speak of this, keeping in mind the ar- 
gument supposed to be involved in the fact that slaveholders 
were saved, and were received into the communion of the Church. 
And our reply to any such thought, is that the Son of God came 
to "save his people /Vowi their sins." He first grants them sal- 
vation, and then causes them to experience and exemplify its 
purifying and elevating power. 

The two epistles of Paul to which we refer, were written 
to churches of recent origin and standing, in the confession of 



2f 

15 

Christ. And from the fact that no such distinct commands are 
found in any other epistles to the churches, it would appear 
that slavery had ceased to be tolerated in churches of longer 
standing and growth. 

The first instance to which we refer is in the, so called, ^'epis- 
tle to the Ephesians," but which was not written to the church in 
Ephesus,* which was primarily composed of Jeii:s who believed, 
and where Paul had labored during two years. The epistle in 
question was written to a church composed entirely of Gentiles, 
whom Paul had not yet seen, but of whose faith and love he 
had heard. 

The commands to the servants are these: — "Servants, be 
obedient to the masters according to the flesh, with fear and 
trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not 
with eye-service, as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ. 
doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing ser- 
vice as TO the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that whatso- 
ever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the 
Lord, whether bond or free." 

In this way Paul seeks to elevate the minds of the servants ; 
and, wisely, banishes the idea of the master {the slaveholder) 
from their view, presenting to them Christ instead. And now, 
observe how the commands given to the servants, directly govern 
those given to the masters: — "And ye masters, do the same 
things to them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your 
Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with 
him." 

The masters are thus commanded to cultivate the same prin- 
ciples of Christian obedience, and to observe the same rules of 
conduct as were enjoined upon the servants: — DO the same 
things TO them." The masters are thus commanded to behave 
themselves with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart as 
unto CHRIST, doing the will of God, as being themselves the 
SERVANTS OF CHRIST; acting, in all respects, with good will as 
TO THE LORD. In a word, they were to behave to the servants 
AS UNTO CHRIST. In the active presence of such principles ol' 
godliness, slavery could no longer exis^;. 

The other passage in which the same principles are incul- 
cated is in the epistle to the church in Colosse, which also was 
of recent origin, and needed the same purifjnng process through 
the truth The commands to the servants are substantially the 
same ; but in that to the masters there is a noteable variation : 
"Ye masters give unto the servants that which is just and 



*Dr. Paley has collaterl the pvirlencp whirh proves that the epiatle waa not written 
to the church in Kphesus. There is good reason fur concluding that it wa-s written to t)jo 
church in Laodicea, and is the epistle to which Paul refers in Col. iv. Id. 



16 

equal; knowing that you also have a Master in heaven." 

In this way Paul instructed the masters that they were no 
longer to avail themselves of the Roman law and custom which 
defined the peruUum of a servant or that which merely sufficed 
as a subsistence; neither were they to exact the labor of the 
servants as a prescriptive right; nor were they at all to reap the 
fruits of unremunerated service. But they were to pay the 
the value of the work performed; for, in this way only could 
they render to the servants that which is just. But they were 
to do more than this: they were also to i-ender to the servants 
that which is equal. That which is just, relates to the value 
of the service performed; but that which is EQUAL, relates to 
t\\.e persons of those who served; and whose social rights as men 
and as christians, were no longer to be ignored, but whom the 
masters were to treat with equity and honor; for in this way 
only could they render that which is equal, as well as that which 
is just: and, in this way only could they render a duteous obe- 
dience and homage to the will of their Master in heaven, who 
had said "All things whatsoever you would that men should do 
unto you, do ye even so them." 

We now ask you to ponder these instructive and corrective 
injunctions, as given to men, fovind and saved by the grace of 
God, while in the position of slaveholders, according to the laws 
and customs of the Roman world. Think of those men as saved 
and sanctified by the grace and the Spirit of God; as being 
"sons of God, and temples of the Holy Ghost." Think of them 
as having received these principles of God and of godliness into 
their understanding and heart, and answer for yourselves the 
question: — ''Was it possible that they could any longer sustain 
or countenance the system of slavery, in the midst of which they 
had been reared? Was it possible that they could any longer 
hold and treat their fellow men, and fellow christians, as chattel 
slaves? Was it possible that they could ever again call together 
their fellow men, and fellow christians, and count them, accord- 
ing to Roman law and custom, "pro nullis, pro mortuis, pro 
quadrupedibus — -for no men^for dead men, for beasts?" But 
if they could not, then -wias slavery cast out of their hearts as a 
heathen ab(jmination, and by their christian conscience it was 
utterly condemned. 

This divine method of purifying the church from slavery, 
was unspeakably more efficacious than the formal enactment of 
a prohibitory law. The emancipation of the servants was not 
commanded in so many formal words, but their freedom and 
welfare were most efiectually secured. The domestic establish- 
ment might still consist of the same persons; but the former 
relation of slaveholder and slave, must, of necessity, have been 



annulled. To this conclusion we are led by the evidence adduced. 
IV. But if our conclusion does not agree with recorded fact, 
it cannot be maintained : and the ecclesiastical advocates of 
slavery allege, as a recorded fact, that the apostle Paul sent 
back the fugitive slave, Onesimus, into the bonds of slavery, as 
then established throughout the Roman world." 

This statement must be tested, by means of the evidence 
supplied in Paul's epistles — particularly his epistle to Philemon, 
in which the alleged /ac^ is said to be shown. 

The particulars of the case are manifestly these: — Accord- 
ing to the laws and customs of the Roman world, Philemon had 
been the master, and Onesimus the slave. Onesimus was also 
Philemon's brother ''in the flesh;" that is, by the same father, 
but not by the same mother. The mother of Onesimus was a 
slave at the time of his birth. This can be readily understood. 
Now it would appear that the father of these two sons had died, 
and that Philemon had succeeded to his late father's estate. 
The chattels real and chattels personal, had become his by com- 
mon law; and Onesimus, having been born of a slave mother, 
was included in the chattels personal of the estate. 

Onesimus fled from the house of Philemon, and from the 
city of Colosse, and arrived at Rome. There he was converted 
to God through the testimony of Paul: and Paul being then a 
prisoner, on account of the Gospel, Onesimus became a solace to 
him in his bonds. 

At that time, the Apostle was about to send epistles to the 
Churches in Colosse and Laodicea, one great object of which — 
as we have shown — was to purify those Churches from the sin 
and defilement of slavery. And, according to the wisdom given 
him of God, Paul judged it right to send Onesimus with Tychi- 
cus, as joint-beurers of his epistle to the Church in Colosse, where 
Philemon dwelt, and whence Onesimus had fled. They were to 
act together as Commissioners Apostolic — representing Paul, and 
making known that which had been accomplished in the Church 
HI Rome. But Paul directed Onesimus to return, in the first 
instance, to the house of Philemon, and deliver to him the per- 
sonal epistle, in which is the chief evidence that Onesimus was 
not returned as a fugitive slave to his master and his former 
bonds. 

In his epistle to Philemon, Paul intimates that he might 
have rightfully retained Onesimus, as one whom Christ had made 
free, and in a service which Philemon himself would have ren- 
dered, had he been at Rome. He also shows that, by virtue of 
his authority as an Apostle of Christ, he might have commanded 
Philemon to emancipate Onesimus: but by such an act of "au- 
thority," the obedience of Philemon would be caused to seem 



18 

more like an act of necessity, than of spontaneous obedience to 
the principles of Christ. This, the Apostle was most desirous 
to avoid. He therefore preferred to use the language of affec- 
tionate entreaty: and his persuasive request for the favorable 
reception of Onesimus, as a freeman and fellow saint is thus 
expressed: — "For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, 
that thou shouldest receive him for ever — not now as a ser- 
vant, BUT ABOVE A SERVANT, a brother beloved, specially to 
me, but how much more to thee, both in the flesh and in the 
Lord? If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as 

MYSELF. 

In this wise and efficacious way, the Apostle Paul besought 
Philemon to receive Onesimus with favor and honor, as a feUow 
freeman, and o.s his brother ^^in the fienh and in the Lord ;" yea. 
as he would receive the emhodiment of Paul's inward and most 
tender affection; even as he would receive and treat Panl himself . 
(Phile. 12 — 17.) And it is marvelous, how men, professing to 
be students and expositors of the Holy Scripture, can possibly 
call this "the rendition of Onesimus into the bonds of slavery, 
by the act and authority of the Apostle Paul." Let any man 
ponder this affiiir in the light of internal evidence, and believe 
that the epistle to Philemon was eff"ective unto the end which 
Paul sought to obtain; and if, afterwards, he can discern any 
mark or trace of slavery remaining on Onesimus, then must he 
also be able to discern the hlack vestment of sorrow, in a mantle 
as lohite as snow. 

We now revert for a moment to the epistles to the churches 
in Colosse and Laodicea. 

The immediate object of Paul's epistle to Philemon being 
accomplished, Tychicus and Onesimus were presented to the 
church in Colosse, as Commissioners Apostolic, the beai'ers of 
Paul's epistles; in which capacity they were accredited in these 
words: — "All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is 
a beloved brother and a faithful minister and fellow servant in 
the Lord; whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that 
he might know your state, and comfort your hearts, with Onesi- 
mus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They 
shall make known to you all things that are done here." Col. iv. 
7—1). 

Onesimus stood in the midst of the church in Colosse — not 
as a returned fugitive slave — but as an accredited commissioner 
from the apostle Paul. Philemon being prominent in the church 
and present on the occasion, would be an object of exceeding 
interest; and his duteous and godly conduct towards his brother 
Onesimus, would be an example of exceeding power, for puri- 
fying the churtdi from the sin and defilement of slavery. And 



19 

Paul, being intent on the great objects he had at heart, directed 
that when his epistle had been read in the Colossian church, it 
should be caused to be read also in the church at Laodicea; and 
that the Colossian church should read the epistle that would be 
forwarded to them from Laodicea. These two epistles are, in 
many respects, complemental, each to the other: and Paul evi- 
dently intended, among other objects, that these (together with 
his epistle to Philemon, and the manumission and honorable 
mission of Onesimus) should act and react, until those churches 
were purified from the heathen custom and fact of slavery — 
having cast out from among them ''that abominable thing." 

The ecclesiastical admirers of ancient and modern slavery 
tell us falsely of the rendition of Onesimus, into the bonds of 
degradation and iron: (and in this way they defame the apostle 
Paul) but we tell them truly of his emancipation and honor, by 
the holy will of God. 

Here we might rest our case. There is, however, an addi- 
tional form of fancied argument, which ought not, perhaps, to 
be passed over in silence, though it is but an instance of petitio 
principil, at the most. We refer to the statement that, "In the 
days of the apostles, slavery existed throughout the Roman Em- 
pire, but the apostles did not agitate and labor to have it rooted 
out." 

This statement is true; but the inference sought to be drawn 
from it is exceedingly false. It is infei'entially assumed that, 
whatever the apostles did not labor to have exterminated from 
the face of the earth, they sanctioned and approved in the name 
of the Lord. We need not insist on the sinfulness of such a 
thought : but a few remarks may be of use : — 

When the Son of God became incarnate, he did not come 
to "judge the world;" neither did he then come to legislate for 
the nations of the earth. He came in the way of grace and 
mercy, to save sinners — to save men out of the world: and his* 
commandments, statutes and ordinances were given for the ob- 
servance of his own disciples, as such. And, in accordance with 
his own mission, and work of personal redemption and salvation, 
his apostles were sent forth. They were sent as the accredited 
messengers of grace and truth, and to be the subordinate found- 
ers and purifiers of the christian church. But the apostles of 
Christ were not politicians ] neither had they any commission to 
be, or seek to be, reformers of national customs and laws. They 
were true to their mission of mercy : and, within their appoin- 
ted sphere, they labored with fidelity and zeal. So intent were 
they on the moral purification of the church, that they were 
able to say to christians, "We have labored to present you as a 
chaste virgin unto Christ " But, the apostles had no commia- 



/- 



20 

sion, or authority, to legislate for the world ; nor to act as cor- 
rectors of public manners and morals in the world. And, they 
knew how to prosecute the ends of their own proper calling, as 
"ambassadors for Christ," and to keep within their divinely ap- 
pointed sphere. Hence we find the apostle Paul say, " What 
have I to do with them that are without?" — and again: "Them 
that are without, God judgeth." But the writings of the apos- 
tles show that, "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven 
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold 
the truth in unrighteousness." And the apostle James (in the 
way of apodrophe') warns and denounces all men who have grown 
rich and powerful by means of the unpaid labor of other men. 
He says, "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your mis- 
eries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and 
your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered ; 
and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall 
eat your flesh as it were fire. You have heaped treasure together 
for the last days. Behold the hire op the laborers who 

HAVE REAPED DOWN YOUR FIELDS, WHICH IS OF YOU KEPT 
BACK BY FRAUD, CRIETII : AND THE CRIES OP THEM WHO HAVE 
REAPED ARE ENTERED INTO THE EARS OF THE LoRD OF HOSTS." 

James v, 1 — 4. 

Here is apostolic testimony, which declares that God is the 
avenger of the oppressed laborer; and that He will tread the 
oppressor in the dust. 

We undertook to defend the honor of the Holy Scriptures 
against the misrepresentation made by ecclesiastical Teachers, 
who approve and defend the slavery of both ancient and modern 
times: and the result is now before your minds. 

Those whose advocacy and arguments we have examined, 
had appealed to "Moses and the prophets;" and being tested by 
^Q- Scriptures of Israel, they are found to have spoken untruth- 
fully concerning the mind and will and ways of God. They had 
appealed to the Christian Revelation, and, being tried by the 
inspired writings of the apostles, they are found to have betrayed 
the sacred honor of the Christian Faith. 



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